


The Tenth Time

by helsinkibaby



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Community: 1 Million Words' August Rush, F/M, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-14 21:38:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4581054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria gets dragged through a hearing. Rhodey helps her unwind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tenth Time

**Author's Note:**

> For the August Rush Day 2 Captain America picture, disciplinary hearing.   
> I'm honest enough to admit that Rhodey in this is a tiny bit influenced by the House of Lies kick I'm currently on.

In the aftermath of the grilling she received at the hearing, Maria walked into her hotel and didn't think twice about heading for the bar. It may not have been the nicest hotel in DC but it still had a more than serviceable bourbon stocked behind the counter and that thought had been the only thing keeping her sane as the questions kept coming, and coming for a second and third time, recycled in different phraseology to try to trip her up. 

One drink, she promised herself. Then dinner, a bath and a good sleep before heading back to New York in the morning. 

One drink wouldn't hurt and she'd damn well earned it. 

She was sitting at the bar, savouring each sip when she heard a familiar voice behind her. "This seat taken?"

Turning her head, she raised one eyebrow at the sight of Colonel James Rhodes standing there in full uniform, cover neatly tucked in the crook of his arm. She took a second - or maybe two or three - to admire the effect of the uniform on him before pointing out the obvious. "You sure you can be seen with me?"

Jim tilted his head and she knew him well enough to see amusement sparkle in his eyes. "You've finished testifying," he reminded her and the second verb had her taking another, longer, sip. "And I've just been informed that I'm surplus to requirements." 

Deciding that the committee's loss was her gain, Maria gestured to the bar stool beside her, swivelling slightly on her own so that she could face him. She crossed her legs as he sat down, meaning that her skirt rode up to just above her knee and she didn't miss how his eyes lingered for just a moment too long on the hemline, before travelling up and down the rest of her legs. Which didn't offend her in the slightest, because she worked out every day and she could run for miles. She knew she had a damn good pair of legs, thank you very much, which at the moment were being accentuated by the heels that felt like they were actually trying to kill her, so all things told, she appreciated Jim taking the time to notice. 

Of course, she usually planned outfits to make him notice, so the fact that this was accidental was a nice surprise. If she believed in that sort of thing, she'd say it was providence repaying her for the committee hell of earlier. 

As she was thinking, Jim gestured to the bartender, indicating that he'd have what she was having. A raised eyebrow asked her if she wanted another and she shook her head. Maybe later. 

"So, surplus to requirements." She wasn't jealous of that. Much. "Must be nice." Fine, she was jealous. 

Jim chuckled. "I've been through more than my share of those," he told her. "Comes with the territory of being the only one who can get Tony Stark to play nice." 

"So you're an expert." Maria inclined her head towards him, let a slow smile spread across her lips. 

His lips spread with the same sort of smile. "I wouldn't say that..." he demurred, in a tone that meant the exact opposite. 

Maria raised her glass to her lips, let the liquid slide down her throat, warm her from the inside out. Jim's eyes didn't leave hers and she found herself thinking that maybe it wasn't just the alcohol warming her. "Tell me then... how do I unwind after a day like this?"

Jim didn't blink, just held up his glass. "This is a good first step."

Maria nodded. "So what's step two?"

"Some people say step two involves dinner..." Jim tilted his head in the general direction of the hotel restaurant but the mere thought of food had Maria's stomach rolling. 

Pursing her lips, she asked, "And what's step three?"

Jim put down his glass on the bar, leaned forward as if he didn't want to be overheard. "I was thinking we go upstairs and I fuck you into the mattress. Ma'am."

The words and the look in his eyes combined to make a pool of heat and desire pool in Maria's stomach and lower. Nine times out of ten, James Rhodes would never talk to her like that, was the very model of an officer and a gentlemen; whether that was just him, or years of trying to be the antithesis of Tony Stark, she didn't know. 

What she did know was, on the tenth time, when he said something like that with that look in his eye? 

It promised an unforgettable night. 

Downing her drink in one gulp might have looked unladylike but the grin he gave her more than made up for it. He took her hand to steady her as she stepped down from the bar stool, fingers sliding up to rest on her wrist and she knew he could feel her pulse racing. His thumb traced circles on the inside of her wrist as they waited for the elevator and he dropped her hand as the door closed behind them, only so that he could put his arm around her waist, hand resting lightly on the curve of her ass. It was a touch so gentle she could hardly feel it, one she could have dislodged with the slightest of movements, yet one that made her ache for more. 

More came when they reached her room, when the door had scarcely clicked shut behind her before he was pressing her up against it, his lips on hers, the touch of his hands firmer and more deliberate than seconds earlier.  He kissed her thoroughly, passionately, like he had all the time in the world to do it and as much as she pulled him close to her, it still didn't feel like it was close enough. By the time his lips trailed a path down her neck, she was breathless, her hands moving futilely along the buttons of his jacket as she mentally cursed the uniform she'd earlier been admiring. Too many damn buttons and layers, especially since he'd made great progress on the buttons of her shirt. She felt his lips curve in a smile, gasped as one hand slipped under her skirt and moved upwards.  "I thought you mentioned something about a mattress," she muttered and damn the man, he actually chuckled. 

"Over-rated," he told her as he dropped to his knees and proceeded to show her all the ways he wasn't. 


End file.
